Tag: Finance

Business

Kotak Flexicap Fund Completes 15 Years of Long-Term Wealth Creation

Tanisha Cardozo

Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Company Ltd. has announced the 15-year milestone of the Kotak Flexicap Fund, marking a significant journey in long-term wealth creation. Since its inception, the scheme has delivered a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.59 per cent, building a strong performance record across multiple market environments.

Commenting on the milestone, Nilesh Shah, Managing Director of Kotak Mahindra Asset Management Company Ltd., said the completion of 15 years is a moment of pride for both the organisation and the investors who have remained committed to the fund. He noted that the flexicap category continues to be important because it allows investors to participate in India’s growth across market segments while leaving allocation decisions to experienced investment teams.

As of 31 December 2025, the fund’s Direct Plan – Growth Option has generated a CAGR of 15.70 per cent over 10 years and 16.87 per cent over five years. The fund is managed by Harsha Upadhyaya, Chief Investment Officer at Kotak Mahindra AMC, whose investment philosophy focuses on sustainable earnings, strong governance and capital efficiency.

Upadhyaya said the fund has navigated varied market cycles over the past 15 years by staying anchored to businesses with durable earnings potential and strong capital efficiency. He emphasised that the focus has always been on research-backed stock selection rather than chasing short-term trends, enabling the fund to participate meaningfully in India’s growth while aiming to deliver consistent long-term outcomes.

Flexicap funds are designed to offer agility across market environments by investing across large, mid and small-cap segments. As of December 2025, the Kotak Flexicap Fund held approximately 73 per cent in large caps, 19 per cent in midcaps and 5 per cent in small caps.

The portfolio blends top-down sector views with bottom-up stock selection. Key exposures include financial services, automobiles and auto components, capital goods, chemicals, construction materials and consumer services. The fund’s research-driven approach is aimed at identifying long-term opportunities supported by sound valuations and clear earnings visibility.

Finance

Axis Finance Launches ‘Vyapar Business Loan’ to Empower Micro & Small Businesses

Tanisha Cardozo

Written by Tanisha Cardozo || Team Allycaral

Axis Finance Limited (AFL), one of India’s fastest-growing non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), has announced the launch of Axis Finance Vyapar Business Loan, a collateral-free credit solution aimed at addressing the financing needs of micro and small businesses across semi-urban and rural India.

The Vyapar Business Loan is designed to support entrepreneurs operating in the retail, service and trading segments, offering loans of up to ₹10 lakh with flexible repayment tenures and zero collateral requirements. With a simplified application process and minimal documentation, the product ensures quick and hassle-free access to formal credit for India’s self-employed community. The financing can be utilised for working capital needs, business expansion or equipment upgrades.

Commenting on the launch, Sai Giridhar, MD & CEO, Axis Finance Limited, said that micro and small entrepreneurs form the backbone of India’s economy. He noted that the Vyapar Business Loan aims to make formal credit more inclusive by enabling shopkeepers, traders and service providers to access collateral-free finance, helping them scale operations and fulfil their growth aspirations with confidence.

He further highlighted Axis Finance’s focus on leveraging technology and data-driven underwriting to ensure faster turnaround times and a superior customer experience. According to him, the launch of Vyapar Business Loan marks a significant milestone in the company’s journey to empower India’s self-employed population with simple, secure and scalable credit solutions.

Earlier in the fiscal year, Axis Finance introduced Disha Home Loans to improve homeownership access for Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and Low-Income Group (LIG) customers, and also launched Axis Finance Shakti, a Micro Loan Against Property (Micro LAP) product for micro-entrepreneurs and self-employed individuals. Vyapar Business Loan builds on these initiatives, further strengthening AFL’s commitment to inclusive lending and grassroots economic development.

Axis Finance continues to expand its presence across secured and unsecured lending segments, supported by strong underwriting capabilities, advanced technology platforms and an extensive distribution network focused on delivering seamless customer experiences across emerging markets.


Axis Finance Limited is a non-deposit accepting NBFC registered with the Reserve Bank of India and classified under the Middle Layer (NBFC-ML). A wholly-owned subsidiary of Axis Bank Limited, the company offers a wide range of retail and wholesale lending solutions, including Loans Against Property, Business Loans, Personal Loans, Disha Home Loans, Corporate Financing and Real Estate Financing.

Business

BMW Group India Records Highest-Ever Annual Sales in 2025 with 14% Growth

Tanisha Cardozo

Written by Tanisha Cardozo || Team Allycaral

BMW Group India has delivered a landmark performance in calendar year 2025, recording its highest-ever annual car sales and reinforcing its strong growth momentum in the Indian luxury automobile market. The company sold a total of 18,001 cars during the year, registering a robust year-on-year growth of 14 percent despite a dynamic business environment.

Out of the total sales, BMW delivered 17,271 units while MINI contributed 730 units. BMW Motorrad also recorded strong performance, delivering 5,841 motorcycles during the year. The results further strengthen BMW Group India’s position as one of the fastest-growing luxury automobile brands in the country.

The company has now delivered double-digit growth and record-breaking sales consistently for four consecutive years. In 2025, every month and every quarter achieved the highest-ever sales performance, with growth rates exceeding the average luxury segment in India. The final quarter of the year proved particularly strong, with Quarter 4 sales reaching an all-time high of 6,023 units, marking a 17 percent growth year-on-year.

Commenting on the achievement, BMW Group India President and CEO Hardeep Singh Brar said that 2025 has been a record-breaking year for the company, driven by strong customer aspiration and trust across BMW’s portfolio. He highlighted that growth has been witnessed across all segments, including internal combustion engines and electric vehicles, sports activity vehicles and sedans, as well as long wheelbase models. He also noted that BMW Group India’s leadership in the luxury electric segment continues to drive sustainable mobility while expanding the overall luxury car market in India.

BMW Group India’s strong performance was supported by an aggressive product offensive in 2025, with the launch of 20 new products across BMW, MINI and BMW Motorrad. The expanded portfolio included major new-generation launches such as the BMW iX1 Long Wheelbase, BMW X3, BMW 2 Series Gran Coupe, MINI JCW Countryman All4 and MINI Convertible. The motorcycle range was further strengthened with the introduction of the BMW R 1300 GS Adventure and the high-performance BMW S 1000 RR.

With a compelling product lineup, growing demand for electric luxury vehicles and a strong dealer network, BMW Group India continues to build on its momentum, setting the stage for sustained growth in the years ahead.

TechPulse

10 Years of PhonePe: A Decade of Building for Bharat

Tanisha Cardozo

Written by Tanisha Cardozo || Team Allycaral

PhonePe recently marked a significant milestone, completing ten years in India’s fintech ecosystem and celebrating a decade of innovation, growth and impact. Since its inception, the company has played a pivotal role in transforming the way India transacts and manages money, steadily expanding financial access across urban and rural Bharat alike.

In 2025, PhonePe crossed a major milestone by surpassing 600 million registered users, reinforcing its position as a cornerstone of India’s digital economy. The year focused strongly on deepening trust and improving accessibility with the introduction of features such as UPI Circle, which enables delegated payments for trusted contacts, and PhonePe Protect, a robust security framework designed to safeguard users against fraudulent transactions.

Strengthening its support for merchants, PhonePe introduced Made-in-India solutions like the SmartSpeaker and SmartPOD, helping small and medium businesses embrace digital payments with ease. Through the Udyam Assist initiative, launched in partnership with SIDBI, PhonePe became one of the first institutions to enable digital-first integration for MSMEs, streamlining their access to formal credit and financial services.

For consumers, the platform expanded beyond payments by launching affordable protection products such as Home Insurance and Health Insurance, aimed at India’s “Missing Middle.” PhonePe also unlocked liquidity through innovative lending solutions, including Loan Against Mutual Funds, ensuring essential financial services are accessible to a wider population.

Reflecting on the journey, Sameer Nigam, Founder and CEO of PhonePe, said that despite how far the company has come, the most exciting part is that the summit is still not in sight. He highlighted the passion of the teams behind PhonePe and noted that the journey continues to be meaningful and energising as the company builds for the future.

Rahul Chari, Founder and CTO, expressed pride in what PhonePe has built over the past decade, acknowledging the goodwill and support received from the industry and the wider ecosystem. He emphasised that building something people truly believe in is what turns an idea into real impact.

Over the years, PhonePe has consistently redefined the Indian fintech landscape through industry-first innovations. From Digital Gold and Mutual Funds to making Insurance and Stock Broking accessible to the masses, the platform has evolved into a comprehensive financial ecosystem. Key milestones include the PhonePe Business app for merchants, Merchant Lending, Credit Line on UPI, Cross-Border UPI, UPI Lite, and the 2024 launch of the Indus Appstore, Share.Market and secured lending platforms.

By relocating its domicile to India in 2022 and steadily expanding into credit and wealth management, PhonePe has moved beyond being a payments utility to becoming an integral part of India’s financial fabric, ensuring that access to protection, investment and credit continues to reach every citizen as it builds for Bharat.

Finance

HDFC Bank Integrates Digital Rupee (e₹) into SmartGateway Payment Platform

Tanisha Cardozo

Written by Tanisha Cardozo || Team Allycaral

HDFC Bank has announced the integration of the Reserve Bank of India’s Central Bank Digital Currency, the Digital Rupee (e₹), into its online merchant payment platform, SmartGateway, marking a significant step in expanding India’s digital payments ecosystem. The move enables merchants to offer customers a secure, sovereign-backed digital payment option directly within the HDFC Bank checkout experience.

With this integration, merchants using SmartGateway can now accept payments through the Digital Rupee at zero transaction cost, in addition to existing payment modes such as UPI, cards, and net banking. The enhancement is designed to provide customers with a seamless payment experience that is instant, secure, and free of intermediary charges.

As of December 2025, HDFC Bank is among the pilot banks participating in the RBI’s CBDC initiative, servicing approximately 8.45 lakh registered Digital Rupee wallets. The bank continues to see steady adoption, with nearly 13,000 to 15,000 new wallets being added every month, reflecting growing consumer and merchant confidence in the emerging digital currency.

For merchants, zero-cost acceptance of CBDC presents a future-ready payment option that offers improved settlement certainty and reduced operational overheads by eliminating intermediaries. For consumers, the Digital Rupee combines the convenience and speed associated with UPI with the added trust and assurance of an RBI-backed sovereign digital currency, ensuring fast and secure transactions.

By enabling CBDC acceptance on SmartGateway, HDFC Bank is expanding the choice of digital payment options available to customers while extending the benefits of the Digital Rupee to a broader base of businesses. The initiative underscores the bank’s digital-first approach and its continued focus on innovation in the payments space.

This integration further reinforces HDFC Bank’s commitment to supporting India’s transition towards a cash-light, inclusive digital economy, while positioning SmartGateway as a comprehensive and future-ready payment platform aligned with the country’s evolving financial landscape.